Families often assume Medicare covers the nursing home. For long-term care, it usually does not. Here’s the clean version.
Medicare
Covers short-term skilled care (rehab) after a qualifying hospital stay — up to 100 days with cost-sharing after day 20. It does not cover ongoing custodial long-term care.
Medicaid
Covers long-term nursing-home care for those who meet income and asset limits. It is the country’s largest payer of nursing-home days.
The gap in between
Between a short Medicare rehab stay and Medicaid eligibility, many families private-pay or use long-term-care insurance. Planning that gap early — before a crisis — saves money and stress.
Want a clear shortlist before you start calling?
If you don't know which nursing homes to contact first, Curalune Care Help can prepare an ordered shortlist of 3 to 5 suitable options — with contacts, useful links and a ready-to-send message you can put to all of them at once.
The service helps you organise the search. $89, one-off. If you don't receive at least 3 homes matching the area and criteria you gave us, we refund you in full. It does not replace the home's own assessment and does not guarantee admission, price or bed availability.
Important limit
Curalune offers practical help with the search and orientation. Admission, pricing, bed availability and the final assessment always rest with the nursing homes and the competent authorities (your state Medicaid agency, the state survey agency and Medicare).